Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in improving the security situation in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: holding answer 17 July 2007
	The security situation in Afghanistan remains stable if fragile in places. The Afghan army with the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) continue to undertake operations to improve the security situation and extend the authority of the government of Afghanistan across the country. The Taliban are not able to hold territory in the face of offensive action by Afghan and International Security Forces but they are able to threaten security in parts of eastern and southern Afghanistan by means of improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers and small-scale ambushes.
	In Helmand, recent operations have expanded ISAF influence around Sangin and Gereshk, enabling increased development activities, such as work on the irrigation system in Sangin.

Departments: Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in the former Department of the Deputy Prime Minister in the last three years; and at what total cost;
	(2)  how many staff in the former Department of the Deputy Prime Minister have taken  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The Deputy Prime Minister's Office was established in May 2006. Because of the small number of staff involved, disclosing the information requested could breach staff confidentiality. Information for periods before May 2006 is held by Communities and Local Government.

Rape: Sentencing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2007,  Official Report, column 662W, on rape: sentencing, what his assessment is of the level of sentences handed down by courts in Northern Ireland; and if he will take steps to ensure longer sentences are handed down.

Paul Goggins: Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for the independent judiciary. We have however announced plans for changes to the statutory sentencing framework to introduce new public protection sentences for dangerous sexual and violent offenders. Under the proposals, dangerous sexual and violent offenders could receive extended public protection sentences whereby they could be detained in custody for the fall term of their prison sentence. Those committing the most serious sexual and violent offences could receive indeterminate public protection sentences and could remain in prison for an indefinite period. I will be publishing draft legislative proposals shortly.

Social Security Benefits: Repayments

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 16 to 21 were asked to repay benefits paid while they were staying in hospital in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 17 July 2007
	The information in relation to how many people aged 16 to 21 were asked to repay benefits paid while is hospital in not available.

Public Transport: Finance

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the abstraction of rail revenue to the intercity coach network when the National Concessionary Fare Scheme is implemented in April 2008;
	(2)  whether free concessionary travel will be available to older and disabled passengers on intercity express coach services registered as local bus services under the proposed national scheme due to come into force in April 2008.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 July 2007
	An eligible pass holder will be able to travel for free at off-peak times on any registered local bus service anywhere in England from April next year. Eligible services are defined in the Travel Concessions (Eligible Services) Order 2002—a number of criteria have to be met in order for a service to be obliged to offer the statutory concession. An inter-city coach service will be obliged to provide the national bus concession on any parts of their route that provides a local service and fulfils the criteria set out in the legislation.
	It is likely that many long inter-city coach services will not be covered by the national bus concession in their entirety as they will not be eligible services under the 2002 Order.
	No assessment has been made of the abstraction of rail revenue to the inter-city coach network following the introduction of national bus concession.
	It will be for operators and local authorities to assess which services are covered in accordance with the criteria set out.
	The Department is keeping the issue of eligible services under review. The definition can be changed by secondary legislation.

Railways: EU Action

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the likelihood of the EU proposal 2004/0048 (COD) for a European Parliament and Council directive on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the Community's rail network being extended to include all train crews.

Tom Harris: The final text of the proposed Directive on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the railway system in the Community, agreed during the conciliation process, contains provisions to limit application to a limited number of non-driving staff, which member states will be able to define. Although this has to be formally adopted by both the European Parliament and the Council, there is a strong expectation both will vote to accept. During negotiations between the Parliament and Council, the UK along with the majority of other member states was not in favour of the directive being extended to encompass all on-board safety related crew.

Railways: EU Action

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish the UK's proposed derogation from the EU proposal 2004/0048 (COD) for a European Parliament and Council directive on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the Community's rail network.

Tom Harris: The final text of the proposed Directive on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the railway system in the Community, agreed during the conciliation process, has not yet been formally adopted by either the European Parliament or the Council. The derogation will require member states wishing to use it to provide the Commission with a cost/benefit analysis to show why the costs of application to domestic drivers is disproportionate.
	Once the final text of the directive has been adopted by the Parliament and Council, the Government in transposing the directive for the UK, will consult stakeholders, and produce and publish guidance, which will include details on how the UK intends to apply and use the derogation for domestic drivers.

Rapid Transit Systems: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to review the proposals for the South Hampshire Rapid Transit System; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The South Hampshire Rapid Transit scheme (SHRT) had its funding approval revoked in July 2004 due to excessive cost increases. In November 2005, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) announced that he could not support revised proposals to reinstate the scheme as the costs were still substantially higher than originally approved. Hampshire county council subsequently took the decision formally to abandon the project and the statutory powers needed to construct the scheme expired in July 2006.
	Therefore the SHRT scheme does not exist in the form last submitted to the Department. It is for Hampshire county council to consider how best to meet the future transport needs for their area and bring forward proposals accordingly.

Transport: Air Pollution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on measures to reduce the environmental impact of transport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Department for Transport Ministers regularly meet with ministerial colleagues in the course of performing their ministerial duties. There is regular discussion at official level between this Department and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding environment issues of mutual interest.

Financial Services: Disadvantaged

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the membership is of the ministerial working group to determine detailed priorities for financial inclusion policy, announced on page 10 of the Financial inclusion: the way forward; and if he will place in the Library copies of the agendas of the group's meetings;
	(2)  what the membership is of the Financial Inclusion Taskforce.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 17 July 2007
	 The ministerial working group for financial inclusion is chaired by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and includes ministers from the following Departments:
	Department of Work and Pensions;
	Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform;
	Ministry of Justice;
	Cabinet Office; and
	Department of Communities and Local Government.
	The first meeting of the group took place on 12 June 2007. The agenda for the meeting focused on building the evidence base for policy options to achieve the Government's objectives for financial inclusion—to ensure that everyone has access to appropriate financial services, enabling them to:
	manage their money on a day-to-day basis, effectively,
	securely and confidently;
	plan for the future and cope with financial pressure; and
	deal effectively with financial distress.
	The membership of the Financial Inclusion Taskforce is as follows:
	Benny Higgins, Chief Executive Officer, Retail, HBOS Group plc;
	Elaine Kempson, Professor of Personal Finance and Social Policy Research and Director of the Personal Finance Research Centre at Bristol University;
	Chris Lendrum, former Vice Chairman of Barclays plc;
	Mark Lyonette, Chief Executive of the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd.;
	Bridget McIntyre, UK Chief Executive Officer of Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group plc;
	Bernie Morgan, Chief Executive of the Community Development Finance Association;
	Nick Pearson, National Debt Advice Coordinator, Advice UK;
	Teresa Perchard, Director of Policy, Citizens Advice;
	Brian Pomeroy (chair), former Senior Partner of Deloitte Consulting;
	Faith Reynolds, Co-ordinator, Transact, the national forum for financial inclusion;
	Susan Rice, Chief Executive Officer, Lloyds TSB Scotland plc;
	Danielle Walker Palmour, Director, Friends Provident Foundation;
	Claire Whyley; Deputy Director of Policy, National Consumer Council.
	Further information on the Financial Inclusion Taskforce can be found at:
	http://www.financialinclusion-taskforce.org.uk/

Tax Allowances: Married People

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of whether a transferable tax allowance for married people would be compliant with the gender equality duty for public bodies.

Jane Kennedy: The Gender Equality Duty is a legal obligation on public authorities which came into force in April 2007. It is not applicable to tax policy.

Taxation: Care Homes

Natascha Engel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to enable the cost of residency in a care home to be set against the tax liability of the payer; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Since the introduction of the 1948 National Assistance Act people have had to contribute towards the cost of their residential care. The Department of Health is committed to providing affordable care for all who need it, but those who can afford to are asked to pay.

Human Trafficking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Solicitor-General what progress has been made by the Crown Prosecution Service on improving prosecution rates in cases of alleged human trafficking.

Vera Baird: The CPS is working to improve the number of prosecutions, and the number of offences prosecuted under human trafficking legislation is increasing year-on-year. Together with other departments, the CPS is implementing the UK Action Plan on trafficking which should improve prevention, investigation, enforcement and prosecution.

BAE Systems Inquiry

John Barrett: To ask the Solicitor-General what discussions she has had with the Attorney-General, the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the request for co-operation with the US Department of Justice's BAE Systems corruption inquiry; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The Home Office, has central authority for these purposes, has received a request for mutual legal assistance from the United States in connection with its investigation. That request will be considered in the usual way.

Marine Bill

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish a draft marine Bill.

Hilary Benn: It is the Government's intention to publish a draft Marine Bill in the next parliamentary Session, probably in early 2008. The Government remain committed to meeting their manifesto commitment of delivering a Marine Act in this Parliament.

Agriculture: Land Use

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has conducted into the relative efficiency, in terms of land use, of producing organic and non-organic crops.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 18 July 2007
	 DEFRA has not funded research specifically to look in overall terms at the relative efficiency, in terms of land use, of producing organic and non-organic crops. However, the following DEFRA-funded projects involve some element of comparison between organic and conventional farming:
	OFO 145/301—Testing the sustainability of stockless arable organic farming on a fertile soil
	OF0165—Factors influencing biodiversity within organic and conventional systems of arable farming
	OFO 319/OFO 326—Sustainable organic hill and upland farming—A collaborative case study approach
	OFO 370—Farm practice and soil health
	OFO 189/OFO 190/OFO 373—Economics of organic farming
	Further information on these projects can be found can be found on the research pages of the DEFRA website.

Biofuels

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with local Community Councils Action for Communities in Rural England on the potential impact of a substantial take-up by farmers of energy bio-crops on rural communities.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have held no specific discussions with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) on this subject.
	Energy crops can make a valuable contribution to Government's climate change and overall sustainability objectives, by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and stimulating economic activity in rural areas.
	The recently published UK Biomass Strategy provides a framework for a major expansion in the sustainable use of biomass as a source of electricity, heat and power, and to make transport biofuels and renewable materials for industry. It estimates that there is potential to use up to 350,000 hectares of land across the UK by 2020 to grow perennial energy crops, without any detrimental effect on food supplies. This would provide important opportunities for agriculture and land based sectors and those involved throughout the bioenergy supply chains.
	Government will establish appropriate environmental safeguards to deliver an expansion of biomass production in a sustainable way. Crops planted under DEFRA's Energy Crops Scheme are already subject to an environmental assessment before planting to include landscape, archaeology and wildlife considerations.
	We will continue to work with stakeholders, including farming, industry and environmental interests as well as regional bodies and local community groups to deliver the policies set out in the Biomass Strategy.

Environment Agency: Equal Opportunities

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of people with disabilities employed by the Southern Regional Office of the Environment Agency have left employment within one year of joining.

Phil Woolas: As required by the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005, Environment Agency applicants are invited to declare if they have a disability, however this is entirely voluntary.
	170 staff are employed by the Environment Agency in its Southern Regional office. In the last 12 months 27 staff have left the Environment Agency. They did not declare themselves as being disabled.

Rural Areas

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of procedures in place in his Department for the rural proofing of new policies.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government as a whole 'rural proofs' their policies and programmes. This involves considering their potential impact on rural areas and, where appropriate, adjusting them to meet the needs of rural people better.
	We have established the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) to be an adviser to Government on rural affairs and to independently monitor how policies are meeting rural needs. The CRC's latest monitoring report, published in October 2006, includes encouraging evidence of rural proofing but also concludes that there is room for improvement. My Department is working with CRC and with other Government Departments to review the rural proofing process and will contribute to the next progress report later this year.

Afghanistan: Drugs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to disrupt the supply of illegal drugs originating from  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) South America to the United Kingdom.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contributes directly to the delivery of the UK's National Drugs Strategy by supporting efforts to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs to the UK. Preventing the importation of heroin from Afghanistan and cocaine from Latin America into the UK is a top priority for our international efforts. We engage with countries along the main trafficking routes from Afghanistan, especially Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and the Balkans, and Latin America, especially the Caribbean and West Africa, as well as with the producer countries. Our overseas posts provide the operational base for the Serious Organised Crime Agency's overseas work, which acts to support the law enforcement activity of partner agencies.
	The UK works closely with host governments to support action to disrupt trafficking, seize consignments of illicit drugs, and their financial proceeds, and ensure effective prosecution of offenders. We help to build capacity amongst the region's law enforcement agencies and judiciary with the provision of legal drafting, law enforcement and prosecution training and equipment. We work closely with other partners including the EU and US to maximise effect.
	The UK is working with the Afghan Government and the international community to bring about a sustainable reduction in the cultivation, production and trafficking of opium in Afghanistan. We are spending £270 million over three years in support of the Afghan Government's National Drug Control Strategy and its four priorities—targeting the trafficker, strengthening and diversifying legal rural livelihoods, reducing demand and developing state institutions. Some £2.7 million of FCO funds has been allocated to Afghan regional capacity building since 2005, as well as bilateral funding for Pakistan and Iran of nearly £1 million.
	In addition £6 million of Home Office funds is being spent on procurement of two helicopters for use by the Pakistan anti-narcotics force, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, when he was the then Chancellor of the Exchequer on 8 March 2006.
	The UK also devotes considerable resources within the Latin American region to combat the trafficking of cocaine to the UK. Through its Global Opportunities Fund, the FCO has allocated £1.7 million since 2005 to specific projects to support counter-narcotics efforts in the Latin American region. For the current financial year, a sum of £647,000 has been allocated.

Conflict Prevention: Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which projects and programmes are being funded by the Conflict Prevention Pool; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Conflict Prevention Pools were established in 2001-02 to bring together defence, diplomatic and development activity aimed at long-term conflict prevention. Jointly owned and managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development, they aim to improve the Government's conflict prevention work through joint analysis, strategy planning and project programming, and better co-ordination with international partners.
	The Global Conflict Prevention Pool currently funds programmes in Afghanistan (including a separate Afghanistan counter-narcotics programme), the Balkans, Caribbean, Latin America, Indonesia/East Timor, India/Pakistan, Iraq, Middle East/North Africa, Nepal, Russia/Commonwealth of Independent States and Sri Lanka. It also funds three thematic strategies aimed at building international conflict prevention capacity: security sector reform, small arms/light weapons and UN.
	The Africa Conflict Prevention Pool funds bilateral assistance to a range of countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa, working with African and other international bodies to reduce the incidence and effects of conflict at continental, regional and country levels in Africa. Significant achievements include strong and influential relationships being built with key continental and national actors in the emerging African peace and security architecture. High quality training and other support is being provided to strengthen African capacity for peace support operations and to encourage the professionalism of African armed forces. Country programmes are making innovative contributions to peace-building and post conflict stabilisation work.
	I will arrange for a full list of the programmes and projects funded by the Conflict Prevention Pools to be placed in the Library of the House.

Departments: Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on overnight accommodation by civil servants within his Department's areas of responsibilities in the last 12 months.

Meg Munn: Both in the UK and overseas, staff are paid subsistence to compensate for the additional costs of being away from home on official duty. Subsistence covers the cost of a room in a typical hotel, and the costs of meals and other incidentals. Each post has a different daily subsistence rate depending on local economic conditions There is no automatic entitlement to subsistence in the UK.
	Current electronic data in the UK shows that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent the following on hotel accommodation between April 2006 and June 2007:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Dates from and to  UK  Overseas 
			 April 2006-March 2007 60,429.15 686,213.40 
			 April 2007-June 2007 8,469.75 86,522.68 
		
	
	However, this information is subject to the following caveats:
	the figures use the date the expense was incurred, rather than the submission date;
	the figures shown are only those where total expenditure has been paid; and
	the figures provided are only those held in the UK. Posts overseas may also have paid individually for accommodation during this period, but our systems are not able to separate out the sums spent by overseas posts on overnight accommodation from other travel expenses.

Departments: Postal Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what volume of correspondence his Department sent  (a) by Royal Mail and  (b) by other commercial delivery services in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for the use of other commercial delivery services.

Jim Murphy: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) correspondence sent by Royal Mail is not tracked by volume.
	FCO correspondence sent to diplomatic missions overseas is dispatched in the diplomatic bag by commercial delivery services. Volumes for each of the last five financial years are as follows:
	
		
			  April to March each year  Kilos 
			 2002-03 407,576 
			 2003-04 384,214 
			 2004-05 362,109 
			 2005-06 341,537 
			 2006-07 332,622 
		
	
	The FCO's current principal overseas mail service provider won an open government tender in 2005 on the basis of geographical reach and value for money. Royal Mail did not tender.

Lesotho: Elections

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the outcome of the elections in Lesotho in 2007; and if he will make a statement on the political situation in Lesotho.

Meg Munn: The ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy party won by a sizeable majority in an election process that we and independent observers deemed largely free and fair. But legal challenges by opposition parties are still ongoing and we do have concerns about sporadic incidents of violence which followed, directed at both Government and opposition figures. Both Government and opposition parties alike, now need to engage in dialogue to bring about a peaceful solution.
	Our non-resident high commissioner, who resides in Pretoria, visited most recently on 3 July when he encouraged all sides to enter fully into the Southern African Development Community-backed mediation process headed by former President Masire of Botswana. We continue to monitor the situation closely, through our high commission in Pretoria and in London with the Lesotho high commissioner, who officials met most recently on 27 June.

Occupied Territories: Peace Keeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Government policy is on the proposal put forward by 10 EU foreign ministers for an international force to patrol the Palestinian territories; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We are concerned about the security situation in Gaza. However, any international force would need the full support and agreement of all parties concerned.

Rainforests: Conservation

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to international institutions on the protection of the Congo rainforest.

Meg Munn: The Government maintain a regular dialogue with the World Bank, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government to help develop innovative forest management and financing systems that provide alternatives to industrial logging. The Department for International Development-funded Roundtable Review is bringing together the World Bank, international NGOs and other key actors in a constructive dialogue to shape the future of the DRC's forests in a way that benefits the people of the DRC. The Government have pledged a US$500,000 contribution to the Multi-Donor Trust Fund to improve forest governance which will enable us to work with the World Bank, the EU, France and Belgium who are all key international players with important roles to play in support of the DRC's forests. And the UK's contribution of £50 million for the Congo Basin Initiative will support the important work to protect the Congo basin forests and the livelihoods of those who depend on them.

Uganda: Elections

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1300W, on Uganda: politics and government, what reports he has received on the likelihood of President Museveni contesting elections in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Ugandan parliament voted in 2005 to lift the constitutional two-term limit, to allow incumbents to serve an unlimited number of terms. We have not received any confirmed reports about whether President Museveni intends to stand in the 2011 elections.

Uganda: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Uganda on the recent treatment of Dr. Kizza Besigye, leader of the opposition.

Meg Munn: We have not made any recent representations to the Government of Uganda specifically about Dr. Besigye. We do, however, closely monitor the People's Redemption Army trial in which Besigye is a defendant and are pushing for a swift and fair conclusion of the legal process. In the course of our regular dialogue with the Government of Uganda, we continue to press them, including at senior political level, on all aspects of engaging with the opposition and further developing multi-party democracy.

Children's Centres

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start children's centres there were in England in each year from 1996-97 to 2006-07; and what estimate he has made of the likely number of such centres in each year from 2007-08 to 2010-11.

Beverley Hughes: Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) were established before children's centres, with 524 set up between 1999 and 2003. The first table gives cumulative figures for SSLPs open in each financial year across this period:
	
		
			   Number of Sure Start Local Programmes 
			 1999-2000 51 
			 2000-01 142 
			 2001-02 259 
			 2002-03 445 
			 2003-04 524 
		
	
	The first Sure Start Children's Centres were opened in June 2003, and the following table shows cumulative figures across each financial year up to 2007-08. The figures include former SSLPs as the vast majority of these have taken on Children's Centre status over this period.
	
		
			   Number of Sure Start Children's Centres (including those that were initially SSLPs) 
			 2004 65 
			 2005 226 
			 2006 836 
			 2007 1,262 
			 2008 (1)2,500 
			 (1 )Forecast based on progress towards Government target. 
		
	
	There are currently 1,337 Children Centres, and the Department is on course to achieve its target of 2,500 by 2008. The Government have set a national target of 3,500 centres by 2010, but projected figures for the final phase (2008 to 2010) cannot be given for individual years as local authority planning for these centres is at a very early stage.

Departments: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which departmental targets will transfer to his Department from the former Department of Education and Skills.

Edward Balls: My Department is responsible for the following PSA targets, each of which were agreed between the former Department for Education and Skills and HM Treasury as part of the 2004 spending review:
	1. Improve children's communication and social and emotional development so that by 2008, 53 per cent. of children reach a good level of development at the end of the foundation stage and reduce inequalities between the level of development achieved by children in the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged super output areas and the rest of England by four percentage points from 16 per cent. to 12 percent (joint with the Department for Work and Pensions);
	2. As a contribution to reducing the proportion of children living in households where no one is working, by 2008: increase the stock of Ofsted-registered childcare by 10 per cent.; increase the number of children in lower-income working families using formal child care by 120,000; and introduce by April 2005, a successful light-touch child care approval scheme (joint with the Department for Work and Pensions);
	3. Reduce the under-18 conception rate by 50 per cent. by 2010 as part of a broader strategy to improve sexual health (joint with the Department of Health);
	4. Halt the year-on-year rise in obesity among children under 11 by 2010 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole (joint with the Department of Health and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport);
	5. Narrow the gap in educational achievement between looked-after children and that of their peers; and improve their educational support and the stability of their lives so that by 2008 80 per cent. of children under 16 who have been looked after for two and a half or more years will have been living in the same placement for at least two years, or are placed for adoption;
	6. Raise standards in English and mathematics so that: by 2006, 85 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieve level 4 or above, with this level of performance sustained to 2008; and by 2008, the proportion of schools in which fewer than 65 per cent. of pupils achieve level 4 or above is reduced by 40 per cent.
	7. Raise standards in English, mathematics, ICT and science in secondary education so that: by 2007, 85 per cent. of 14-year-olds achieve level 5 or above in English, mathematics and ICT (80 per cent. in science) nationally, with this level of performance sustained to 2008; and by 2008, in all schools at least 50 per cent. of pupils achieve level 5 or above in English, mathematics and science;
	8. Improve levels of school attendance so that by 2008, school absence is reduced by 8 per cent. compared to 2003;
	9. Enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by five to 16-year-olds so that the percentage of school children in England who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and sport within and beyond the curriculum increases from 25 per cent. in 2002 to 75 per cent. by 2006 and to 85 per cent. by 2008, and to at least 75 per cent. in each School Sport Partnership by 2008 (joint with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport);
	10. By 2008, 60 per cent. of those aged 16 to achieve the equivalent of five GCSEs at grades A*-C; and in all schools at least 20 per cent. of pupils to achieve this standard by 2004, rising to 25 per cent. by 2006 and 30 per cent. by 2008;
	11. Increase the proportion of 19-year-olds who achieve at least level 2 by three percentage points between 2004 and 2006; and a further two percentage points between 2006 and 2008, and increase the proportion of young people who achieve level 3;
	12. Reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) by two percentage points by 2010.

Teenage Pregnancy Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what budget was allocated to the Teenage Pregnancy Unit in each year since 2000; and what budget has been allocated to the unit for the next three years;
	(2)  what projects are being undertaken by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit;
	(3)  how many civil servants are working for the Teenage Pregnancy Unit; and what their job descriptions are;
	(4)  what percentage of teenage  (a) mothers and  (b) fathers were in education, training or employment in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The budget allocated to support delivery of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy since its launch in 1999 is provided in the following table. The table identifies separately the amounts spent on: local implementation (paid through a local implementation grant to each top-tier local authority in England); and the amount retained by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit (TPU) to pay for aspects of the strategy that are best managed centrally, such as funding for the national media campaign. Budgets for the next Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) period have not yet been fixed.
	
		
			  £ m illion 
			  Financial year  Local implementation  Central costs  Total 
			 1999-2000 4.5 0.5 5 
			 2000-01 11.5 4.5 16 
			 2001-02 16 5 21 
			 2002-03 16 5 21 
			 2003-04 (1)33 7 40 
			 2004-05 (1)33 7 40 
			 2005-06 (1)33 5 38 
			 2006-07 29.5 5.5 35 
			 2007-08 (provisional) 29.5 5.5 35 
			 (1 )Budgets in years2003-04 to2005-06 included funding for the Sure Start Plus pilots 
		
	
	The main priorities for the TPU over the last 12 months have been: to deliver the 'national level' commitments set out in 'Teenage Pregnancy Next Steps: Guidance for Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts on Effective Delivery of Local Strategies'—designed to accelerate progress towards our target to halve the under-18 conception rate by 2010; and to develop a strategy to improve outcomes for teenage parents and
	their children, which will be published shortly.
	There are currently five civil servants who work in the TPU. Their job titles are:
	1. National Programme Manager
	2. National Policy Manager
	3. National Support Manager
	4. Support for Local Implementation
	5. Admin Officer
	No data are available on the proportion of teenage fathers in education, employment or training (EET). The proportion of teenage mothers aged 16-19 in EET has increased from an average of 23.1 per cent. for the period 1997-99, to an average of 29.2 per cent. for the period 2004-06.

Young People: Unemployment

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many 16 to 24 year olds in Gravesham are not in employment, education or training.

Beverley Hughes: We estimate from data provided by the Connexions Service that 2,970 16-18 year olds were not in education, employment or training (MEET) in the Kent local authority area at the end of 2006. This information cannot be broken down for the Gravesham area. Equivalent information is not available for 19-24 year olds.
	Data provided by Connexions services are used to set and monitor local authority NEET targets. However, it should be noted that figures are necessarily calculated on a different basis from that used in the Department's estimate for the national target; the national figure is a proportion of all young people whereas the local figures cover only those known to the Connexions Service.

Companies: Renewable Energy

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what incentives his Department has put in place to encourage local businesses to support the use of renewable energy in their offices and factories.

Malcolm Wicks: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 with a budget of £36 million over three years provides capital grants for the installation of microgeneration to households, schools, social and local authority housing, businesses, charities and the public sector. Further information on the programme can be found at www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk
	The Renewables Obligation (RO) are the Government's key mechanism for supporting new renewable generation and by 2010 it will be worth around £1 billion per year in terms of support to the renewables industry. It requires licensed electricity suppliers to source a specific and increasing percentage of their sales from renewable sources. Eligible renewable generators receive one Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) for each 1 MWh of electricity generated. However, to encourage more renewable generation from a wider range of sources, the Government are proposing to change the RO so that renewable technologies are awarded differentiated levels of support, for example, offshore wind could receive 1.5 ROCs/1 MWh and wave 2 ROCs/1 MWh. The Government are currently consulting on these proposals.

Internet: Terrorism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to regulate the hosting of websites which contain information on bomb-making.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 16 July 2007
	This is a matter of concern across Europe. The European Commission has indicated that it will propose amending the Framework Decision on combating Terrorism to criminalise the incitement to terrorism and the intentional transmission of information useful to terrorism, such as bomb-making instructions. A conference was held by the European Commission in March to discuss these proposals, at which officials from the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office participated. Government officials continue to be engaged in discussions.
	There are provisions in the Terrorism Act 2006 to cover the hosting of websites which contain information on bomb-making. Under section 1, it is an offence to publish a statement that is likely to be understood as encouraging terrorism. Under section 2, it is an offence to disseminate a terrorist publication. These offences could cover the act of making available information on bomb-making on a website if the elements of the offences are satisfied.
	In addition, sections 3 and 4 of the Act establish an internet 'Notice and Takedown' procedure under which those such as content providers, editors and hosts of websites can be served with a notice requiring them to remove from public view or amend material which is considered to be unlawfully terrorism-related.
	Where the position of those who host websites is concerned, the Electronic Commerce Directive (Terrorism Act 2006) Regulation 2007, which implement the Electronic Commerce Directive in relation to the Terrorism Act, provides that where a host has actual knowledge, that it is hosting unlawful terrorism-related material and it has failed to take down the material expeditiously on acquiring such knowledge, it may be liable under the Terrorism Act.

Shops: Community Development

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if his Department will take steps to safeguard the role played in local communities by independent locally-run shops.

Stephen Timms: The Government recognise the importance of small and independent shops to vibrant and sustainable communities. We are also aware that there are concerns over the future of small and independent shops, particularly in the face of competition from large retailers. The Competition Commission currently has an inquiry underway into the grocery market, and is expected to publish its report in February 2008, well within the statutory deadline.
	Small retailers can access the same support and advice as any small business. Driven forward by my Department's Enterprise Directorate, we are continuing to improve and build on the delivery of services through the Business Link brand. Business Link provides the information, advice and support needed to start, maintain and grow a small business.
	In addition, the Government's Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI), which is sponsored by this department, the Department for Communities and Local Government, and HM Treasury, is seeking to boost the local economies of England's most disadvantaged communities through enterprise development and investment. LEGI provides local institutions and communities with the authority and freedom to best determine local needs, options and solutions for enterprise development, which can include any that may be identified around local retail development.

Tidal Power: Severn Estuary

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has to commission an independent strategic evaluation of the options for exploration of tidal power in the Severn; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: A study of 'Tidal Power in the UK' currently under way and led by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) working together with my Department, Welsh Assembly Government, the devolved administrations and the South West Regional Development Agency is looking in some detail at the issues arising on tidal power.
	The study will provide a strategic, independent and evidence-based consideration of all the environmental, social and economic aspects of and options for tidal power both in the Severn estuary and the wider UK from a sustainable development perspective.
	The final report is expected to be published in September and will help inform any future consideration of these issues. Further details of the study can be seen at
	www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/tidal.html.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Transport extending the network of automated number plate recognition cameras.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 16 July 2007
	Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) is an established technology that the police use to identify vehicles of interest through pattern recognition software. It is used to target terrorism, serious and organised crime, volume crime (such as burglary) and some vehicle documentation offences (for example, uninsured driving and road tax evasion). Police officers using the technology are achieving a significantly higher arrest rate and offences brought to justice rate when compared to conventional policing methods. The recent terrorist incidents in London and Glasgow demonstrated the usefulness of ANPR as an intelligence and analysis tool.
	The Government have invested over £32 million to support the deployment of ANPR for traffic and wider policing purposes. A number of other public organisations also use the technology, for example to support traffic management and congestion charging. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is in regular contact with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on matters of shared interest, including roads policing and enforcement and the role of technology in this and wider security matters. We will ensure that any benefits to engage criminality that can be derived from the use of the ANPR network will be balanced against the need to safeguard human rights and the privacy of individuals.

Border and Immigration Agency: Finance

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the total cost was of establishing the Immigration and Nationality Directorate as the Border and Immigration Agency;
	(2)  what the cost was of redesigning the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website, www.ind.homeoffice. gov.uk, for the new Border and Immigration Agency; and whether external consultants were involved in the redesign.

Jacqui Smith: The transition to Agency status of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate is a continuing project. It is expected that the transition to shadow Agency status will be delivered within the current resources available to the department.
	The redesign of the website www.bia.homeoffice. gov.uk did not incur any extra costs as the work was done by an in-house developer.

Immigration Controls: Uniforms

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisation designed the uniform for border security staff for the pilot programme; whether the same uniform will be used for the full roll-out of the programme; and what the cost was of commissioning the uniform design for  (a) the pilot and  (b) the full roll-out.

Jacqui Smith: Alexandra plc. was selected to design the uniform worn by front-line border control staff during the pilot.
	The cost of the uniforms pilot was £18,192.55 plus VAT. Following evaluation of the uniform pilot, minor amendments were made to the design and the fabrics of the uniform to be rolled out.
	The cost element of designing the new uniform was incorporated in the total cost of the uniform. The final costs for roll out of uniforms to border control front-line operational staff and the cost element of designing the new uniform cannot be finalised until the supplier has assessed and actioned the total number of orders.

Minister for the West Midlands

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions the Minister for Immigration has had with her on the amount of time away from her Department which will be required following his appointment as Minister for the West Midlands.

Jacqui Smith: I meet regularly with each of my ministerial team to discuss both their portfolios and the policy and operational issues which arise from them.

Police: Eastern Region

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been allocated to the police per head of population in  (a) Suffolk and  (b) the East of England for 2007-08.

Tony McNulty: The Government do not distribute grant to police authorities purely on the basis of population. The police funding formula uses a range of data relating to demographic and social characteristics to reflect the relative needs of each authority. Grant allocations also take into account the relative tax base of each authority. Grant allocations are stabilised by damping to limit year-on-year variations.
	The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Police authority  Total grants 2007-08( 1)  (£ million)  Resident Population mid-2005( 2 ) (million)  Funding per head of population 2007-08 (£) 
			 Bedfordshire 79.04 0.58 136.28 
			 Cambridgeshire 88.86 0.75 118.48 
			 Essex 202.06 1.65 122.46 
			 Hertfordshire 130.57 1.05 124.35 
			 Norfolk 107.12 0.82 130.63 
			 Suffolk 83.20 0.69 120.58 
			 Total East England 690.85 5.54 124.70 
			 Total England 8,884.81 50.42 176.22 
			 (1 )Total grants comprises: Home Office Police Grant, DCLG Revenue Support Grant and National Non-Domestic Rates; Special Formula grant, Specific Grants: Crime Fighting Fund, Neighbourhood Policing Fund, Basic Command Unit Fund, Community Support Officer Funding, Pension Deficit Grant and Dedicated Security Post funding and Capital provision (including the increased capital allocations announced on 24 May and 19 June 2007). (2 )Population Data sourced by the Office for National Statistics from the mid-2005 population estimates.

Adult Education

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he last reviewed the definition of non-priority adult education; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Government funding priorities in further education (FE) have been clearly set out in the Skills Strategy White Paper in 2003, 21st Century Skills—Realising our Potential, reinforced in the 2005 Skills Strategy White Paper, 'Getting on in business; getting on at work' and in the White Paper on FE reform, 'FE, Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' (published in March 2006). Most recently, the priorities have been laid out in the department's response (published 18 July 2007-www.dius.gov.uk/publications) to Lord Leitch's report to Government on UK skills, 'Prosperity for all in the global economy—World class skills.'
	These priorities have been implemented through the Secretary of State for Education and Skills' annual grant letters to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). In turn the LSC communicates the priorities to the FE sector through their Annual Statement of Priorities. The most recent 'Annual Statement of Priorities-Raising Our Game' was published in October 2006 and forthcoming priorities for 2008/09 will be published in October 2007 when the CSR settlement is announced.
	Government are focusing its resources on these priorities; other provision may be important, but these are where we will focus the majority of public provision.

Educational Institutions: Standards

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which educational institutions did not achieve their benchmark for completion rates in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The relevant information is taken from table T5 of the Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA since 2002-03 and by HEFCE until 2001-02. This gives the proportion of UK-domiciled entrants to full-time first degree courses who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another course. The information is shown in the following tables.
	The benchmarks are not targets. They are adjusted sector averages, calculated for each institution for each indicator, to help institutions gauge their own performance.
	
		
			  Institutions in England which underperformed their benchmark for non-completion in 2003-04 
			  Institution  Proportion projected to neither obtain award nor transfer  Benchmark 
			 The University of Bolton 35.0 23.1 
			 The University of Central Lancashire 21.7 18.4 
			 University of Chester 18.8 17.0 
			 Coventry University 21.7 19.1 
			 University of Derby 24.0 21.7 
			 The University of East London 27.1 25.5 
			 Edge Hill College of Higher Education 21.5 18.8 
			 Goldsmiths College 17.9 15.9 
			 The University of Greenwich 21.8 21.3 
			 Kent Institute of Art and Design 17.5 15.5 
			 Liverpool Hope University 22.5 18.5 
			 London Metropolitan University 27.4 25.5 
			 London South Bank University 27.6 25.4 
			 University of Luton 22.4 20.1 
			 The Manchester Metropolitan University 23.4 20.1 
			 The University of Northampton 21.5 18.4 
			 The University of Northumbria at Newcastle 16.7 16.2 
			 Roehampton University 21.7 17.0 
			 College of St. Mark and St. John 35.8 32.3 
			 St. Mary's College 18.5 16.2 
			 The University of Salford 20.4 18.9 
			 The School of Oriental and African Studies 18.6 14.1 
			 Staffordshire University 20.4 18.6 
			 The University of Sunderland 20.1 17.6 
			 Trinity Laban 17.0 13.9 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 20.6 16.9 
			 The University of Westminster 21.4 20.8 
			 The University of Wolverhampton 23.9 20.4 
			 University of Worcester 19.5 16.4 
			  Source: "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA 
		
	
	
		
			  Institutions in England which underperformed their benchmark for non- completion in 2002-03 
			  Institution  Proportion projected to neither obtain award nor transfer  Benchmark 
			 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 31.9 23.0 
			 The University of Bradford 18.6 18.2 
			 City University 15.4 14.9 
			 Cranfield University 21.3 18.0 
			 Darlington College of Arts 23.0 15.3 
			 University of Derby 27.0 20.9 
			 The University of East Anglia 12.7 11.7 
			 The University of East London 26.0 24.3 
			 Edge Hill College of Higher Education 19.1 18.9 
			 Falmouth College of Arts 17.0 15.1 
			 Goldsmiths College 17.5 15.6 
			 The University of Greenwich 25.0 20.6 
			 The University of Huddersfield 20.0 19.1 
			 Kent Institute of Art and Design 19.5 15.1 
			 Liverpool Hope University College 23.6 17.6 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 22.9 18.0 
			 London South Bank University 25.6 24.3 
			 University of Luton 23.4 18.3 
			 Middlesex University 25.1 21.7 
			 Newman College of HE 18.6 18.4 
			 University College Northampton 18.8 17.9 
			 The Nottingham Trent University 15.4 14.5 
			 The University of Portsmouth 18.9 17.7 
			 Roehampton University 17.4 16.7 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 9.5 5.8 
			 St. Mary's College 16.8 15.5 
			 The University of Sheffield 7.8 7.3 
			 Staffordshire University 21.1 18.0 
			 The University of Sunderland 26.8 17.9 
			 Thames Valley University 25.0 21.4 
			 Trinity College of Music 19.7 13.5 
			 The University of Westminster 22.9 20.6 
			 University College Worcester 17.9 15.4 
			 Writtle College 18.9 18.1 
			  Source: 2Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA 
		
	
	
		
			  Institutions in England which underperformed their benchmark for non- completion in 2001-02 
			  Institution  Proportion projected to neither obtain award nor transfer  Benchmark 
			 Aston University 10.3 10.2 
			 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 35.8 23.1 
			 University of Central England in Birmingham 19.8 17.6 
			 The University of Central Lancashire 26.0 19.5 
			 De Montfort University 17.5 16.0 
			 University of Derby 20.6 19.5 
			 The University of East London 28.0 24.1 
			 The University of Essex 14.7 14.1 
			 University of Gloucestershire 21.5 16.7 
			 The University of Greenwich 22.9 21.2 
			 The University of Huddersfield 21.3 18.5 
			 The University of Lincoln 22.2 19.3 
			 Liverpool Hope University College 23.7 19.2 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 22.0 17.1 
			 London Metropolitan University 28.1 24.2 
			 University of Luton 24.8 18.8 
			 The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology 11.8 9.9 
			 Middlesex University 26.8 21.0 
			 University College Northampton 25.4 17.9 
			 The University of Reading 10.7 10.4 
			 University of Surrey, Roehampton 20.5 17.9 
			 Royal Academy of Music 15.1 8.7 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 19.1 9.2 
			 The University of Salford 20.0 17.4 
			 The School of Oriental and African Studies 16.5 13.6 
			 Staffordshire University 18.5 18.2 
			 The University of Sunderland 26.9 18.5 
			 The University of Sussex 14.4 12.6 
			 Thames Valley University 25.4 21.0 
			 Trinity College of Music 21.6 10.3 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 21.1 17.3 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 15.9 13.2 
			 The University of Wolverhampton 23.9 19.2 
			 University College Worcester 18.3 15.8 
			  Source: "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA 
		
	
	
		
			  Institutions in England which underperformed their benchmark for non- completion in 2000-01 
			  Institution  Proportion projected to neither obtain award nor transfer  Benchmark 
			 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 32.4 24.5 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University College 20.2 18.3 
			 University College Chester 18.4 17.1 
			 Cranfield University 18.2 17.0 
			 Darlington College of Arts 20.9 16.6 
			 De Montfort University 21.3 18.4 
			 University of Derby 23.3 20.4 
			 University of East London 28.7 25.1 
			 University of Exeter 9.4 9.2 
			 University of Gloucestershire 26.6 18.2 
			 University of Huddersfield 21.6 19.7 
			 Kent Institute of Art and Design 15.4 15.2 
			 King's College London 8.3 7.7 
			 University of Leicester 11.2 8.9 
			 Liverpool Hope University College 26.0 22.2 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 20.9 18.4 
			 University of London 10.3 9.2 
			 London Guildhall University 35.0 24.9 
			 London South Bank University 33.7 25.2 
			 University of Luton 25.7 20.7 
			 University of Manchester 8.3 8.1 
			 Middlesex University 24.7 22.3 
			 University of North London 39.5 25.6 
			 School of Oriental and African Studies 17.4 14.7 
			 School of Pharmacy 7.8 7.6 
			 Queen Mary, University of London 12.9 12.8 
			 Ravensbourne College 18.1 16.5 
			 Royal Academy of Music 11.4 10.6 
			 Royal Veterinary College 3.5 2.1 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 5.7 4.6 
			 University of Salford 20.1 18.9 
			 Southampton Institute 20.9 20.0 
			 Staffordshire University 19.7 19.4 
			 University of Sunderland 26.5 19.7 
			 Surrey Institute of Art and Design University College 15.4 15.2 
			 Thames Valley University 28.2 22.5 
			 Trinity College of Music 22.6 16.1 
			 University of West of England, Bristol 19.1 17.2 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 16.5 13.6 
			 University of Wolverhampton 24.2 20.5 
			  Source: "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA 
		
	
	
		
			  Institutions in England which underperformed their benchmark for non-completion in 1999-2000 
			  Institution  Proportion projected to neither obtain award nor transfer  Benchmark 
			 Anglia Polytechnic University 26.6 21.0 
			 Aston University, Birmingham 12.3 11.3 
			 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 30.4 24.9 
			 University of Bradford 17.0 15.6 
			 University of Central Lancashire 33.5 26.1 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 17.3 15.1 
			 Coventry University 22.1 21.1 
			 Darlington College of Arts 24.4 17.1 
			 University of Derby 24.0 22.1 
			 University of East London 33.0 26.0 
			 University of Gloucestershire 19.6 18.4 
			 University of Greenwich 26.0 23.2 
			 University of Huddersfield 25.3 20.4 
			 Imperial College 7.9 5.5 
			 King's College London 9.5 8.0 
			 Kingston University 21.0 20.9 
			 Liverpool Hope University College 22.6 22.5 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 21.8 18.6 
			 London Guildhall University 29.7 24.6 
			 University of Luton 25.9 21.3 
			 University of Manchester 9.1 8.3 
			 University College Northampton 28.9 19.8 
			 University of North London 44.8 26.7 
			 School of Oriental and African Studies 29.1 17.1 
			 RCN Institute 18.0 17.6 
			 University of Reading 11.9 11.6 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 3.4 2.8 
			 St. Mary's College 17.3 17.0 
			 South Bank University 28.3 26.0 
			 Staffordshire University 22.7 20.1 
			 University of Sunderland 27.8 20.9 
			 Thames Valley University 28.6 21.6 
			 Trinity College of Music 39.3 17.4 
			 University of West of England, Bristol 21.2 18.7 
			  Source: "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA 
		
	
	The 2004-05 figures will become available on 19 July 2007.

Science: Wales

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on science policy in Wales; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on research funding in Welsh universities; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Department has maintained regular contact with the devolved administrations, including the Welsh Assembly, on research capital funding to maintain the research infrastructure of UK universities.

Unemployment: Young People

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of people aged 18 to 24 years had been classed as not in employment, education or training for  (a) up to three months,  (b) between three and six months,  (c) between six and nine months,  (d) between nine and 12 months and  (e) over 12 months in each quarter since 1992.

David Lammy: holding answer 9 July 2007
	The information requested is not available. However, snapshot estimates are available from the Labour Force Survey. The following table gives for England the number and proportion of 18-24 year olds classed as not in employment, education or training for years and quarters available.
	
		
			  People aged 18 to 24( 1)  years who are NEET 
			  Quarter( 2)  Number  Proportion  (Percentage) 
			 Spring 1993 1,008,000 21.4 
			 Spring 1994 901,000 19.9 
			 Spring 1995 812,000 18.6 
			 Spring 1996 750,000 17.9 
			 Spring 1997 651,000 16.1 
			 Autumn 1997 570,000 14.5 
			 Spring 1998 588,000 15.0 
			 Autumn 1998 582,000 15.0 
			 Spring 1999 543,000 13.8 
			 Autumn 1999 537,000 13.8 
			 Spring 2000 544,000 13.9 
			 Autumn 2000 545,000 13.9 
			 Q2 2001 542,000 13.7 
			 Q4 2001 558,000 14.0 
			 Q2 2002 577,000 14.5 
			 Q4 2002 544,000 13.3 
			 Q2 2003 579,000 14.3 
			 Q4 2003 553,000 13.3 
			 Q2 2004 576,000 14.0 
			 Q4 2004 612,000 14.6 
			 Q1 2005 594,000 14.2 
			 Q2 2005 617,000 14.7 
			 Q3 2005 683,000 16.1 
			 Q4 2005 678,000 16.0 
			 Q1 2006 643,000 15.3 
			 Q2 2006 685,000 16.2 
			 Q3 2006 756,000 17.7 
			 Q4 2006 661,000 15.4 
			 (1 )Academic age has been used here. This means for each quarter's data those aged 18 to 24 as at the preceding 31 August are counted. (2) The data shown is for those quarters where it is possible to derive the measure on a consistent basis. NEET measures are however, seasonal and therefore care is needed in the interpretation of changes between different quarters. Prior to 2001 spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) seasonal quarters are shown and calendar quarters thereafter(Q1 is January to March etc) as the LFS has now changed to a calendar basis, although prior to 2005 only Q2 and Q4 data is available.  Source: Labour Force Survey

Appeals: Social Security Benefits

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many single  (a) women and  (b) men with children had their benefits restored at appeal in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The information is not available in the format requested. Data are not collated by gender, nor whether the appeal relates to a benefit previously awarded.
	The following tables show the total number of appeals cleared at a hearing for the last five years, and broken down by the type of hearing. The number of outcomes where it was favourable to the appellant is also given.
	
		
			  Social security and child support appeals—outcomes by hearing type 
			   Oral hearings  Paper hearings 
			  Tax year  Total cleared  Decided in favour  Percentage  Total cleared  Decided in favour  Percentage 
			 2005-06 126,840 65,770 52 46,180 10,260 22 
			 2004-05 124,400 65,290 52 43,750 9,790 22 
			 2003-04 129,830 68,670 53 48,110 10,680 22 
			 2002-03 131,700 69,610 53 46,000 10,780 23 
			 2001-02 136,680 70,620 52 47,100 10,850 23 
		
	
	
		
			   Domiciliary  All hearings 
			  Tax year  Total cleared  Decided in favour  Percentage  Total cleared  Decided in favour  Percentage 
			 2005-06 490 330 66 173,510 76,350 44 
			 2004-05 510 340 67 168,650 75,420 45 
			 2003-04 540 390 72 178,490 79,740 45 
			 2002-03 620 420 68 178,320 80,810 45 
			 2001-02 660 460 70 184,440 81,930 44 
			  Notes: 1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available 2. Cases transferred onto the new appeals system G2 may not have been updated on GAPS 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 4. Totals may not sum due to rounding  Definitions: Total cleared—All appeals that went to a hearing and were cleared Decided in favour—All hearing decisions in favour of the appellant  Source: 100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System (GAPS)

Departments: Wales

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what land in Wales is owned by his Department.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice owns the following land in Wales;
	Her Majesty's Prison Cardiff
	Her Majesty's Prison Parc
	Her Majesty's Prison Swansea
	Her Majesty's Prison Frescoed
	Cilwrgi Farm
	Cwmbran site
	Newport site, George street, Newport, NP20

Juries: Mentally Ill

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on people undergoing treatment for mental illness serving on juries.

Maria Eagle: The relevant legislation makes it clear that persons undergoing treatment for a mental disorder are not qualified for jury service. However, the current eligibility criteria is in need of review, and we have indicated that we will consult on modernising them. We will make it clear in due course whether and, if so, how the law is to be changed.
	The relevant legislation makes it clear that persons undergoing treatment for a mental disorder are not qualified for jury service, and Sir Robin Auld's "Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales" recommended no change to the exclusion of mentally disordered persons from jury service. However, we recognise that there are potential benefits in a change to the current arrangements, particularly of a social inclusion nature. The current eligibility criteria are in need of review, and we have indicated that we will consult on modernising them. We will make it clear in due course whether and, if so, how the law is to be changed.

Legal Aid: Mediation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department and the Legal Services Commission have taken to meet the recommendations of the National Audit Office report Legal aid and mediation for people involved in family breakdown; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is currently awaiting the Public Accounts Committee's report on the National Audit Office's (NAO's) findings. It has however already begun to implement the NAO's recommendations:
	The LSC plans to start piloting family telephone advice through the existing CLS Direct telephone service in the autumn of 2007. This will enable clients seeking family advice to get information about mediation from trained operators.
	As a result of decisions taken in the light of the LSC's and the then Department for Constitutional Affairs' consultation "Legal Aid Reform: Family and Family Mediation Fee Schemes", the decision as to whether domestic abuse is a bar to mediation will now sit with the mediator and not the solicitor.
	The new Family Fee Structure will also remove the financial disincentives for solicitors to make referrals to mediation, which has historically been an obstacle to increasing mediation referrals, a fact recognised by the mediation profession and in the NAO's report.
	The LSC will monitor the number of referrals made by individual firms to mediation. A report, due for implementation in October 2007, will extract information from LSC databases on the exemption from mediation reasons used by individual firms, and sanctions will be available if solicitor's firms do not make appropriate and timely referrals.
	The LSC is currently developing a new supplier management system to replace existing systems. This will make it easier to track cases across different schemes.

Prison Service: Resignations

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers have resigned from the Prison Service within  (a) six months,  (b) one year and  (c) two years of starting their employment in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of prison officers who resigned from the Prison Service within; six months, one year and two years of joining is contained in the table.
	
		
			  Prison officers( 1)  who resigned within two years by length of service 
			   Number of officers resigning  
			  Period( 2)  Within first 6 months  Between 6 months and 1 year  Between 1 and 2 years  Total 
			 2006-07 60 67 70 197 
			 2005-06 64 73 81 218 
			 2004-05 85 52 100 237 
			 2003-04 80 60 70 210 
			 6 July 2002 to March 2003(3) 41 30 25 96 
			 (1) Information relating to contracted prisons is not held centrally and would require the interrogation of various reporting systems which would incur disproportionate cost. Therefore figures relate to public sector Prison Service only. (2) The period refers to when staff left the Service rather than joined. (3)Archiving of data has meant that information on the start date of officers who left prior to July 2002 is not available.

Prisoners: Death

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many deaths occurred in prisons in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) cause of death and  (b) (i) age group and (ii) sex of deceased.

Maria Eagle: Information on numbers of deaths in prisons—excluding all current single function young offender institutions is contained in the following table and associated notes. Establishments change and combine functions from time to time. Working out the precise make-up of the male, female and YOI estates over the 10 years and matching that to the timings of deaths could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Cause of death  Age group  Gender  Number of deaths 
			  1997
			 Homicide 21-25 Male 2 
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 5 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 10 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 11 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 17 
			 Other non-natural 30-39 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted(1) 18-20 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 11 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 14 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 19 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 7 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 2 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 2 
			 
			  1998
			 Homicide 30-39 Male 2 
			 Homicide 40-49 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Male 3 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Male 4 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 3 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 7 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 11 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 17 
			 Other non-natural 18-20 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 7 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 9 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 16 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 32 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 6 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 2 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 1 
			 
			  1999
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Male 5 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 9 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Female 2 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 8 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 13 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 18 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 2 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 13 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 18 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 32 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 9 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 1 
			 
			  2000
			 Homicide 21-25 Male 1 
			 Homicide 30-39 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Male 4 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 6 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 10 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 13 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 27 
			 Other non-natural 30-39 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Female 3 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 4 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Female 3 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 12 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 10 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 25 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 9 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 3 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 1 
			 
			  2001
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Male 4 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 9 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 11 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 11 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 30 
			 Other non-natural 30-39 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 3 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 9 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 10 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 21 
			 Self-inflicted 4'0-49 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 11 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 4 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 2 
			 
			  2002
			 Natural Causes 18-20 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Male 3 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 6 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 12 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 18 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 23 
			 Other non-natural 21-25 Male 1 
			 Other non-natural 30-39 Male 1 
			 Other non-natural 40-49 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 15-17 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 4 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 15 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 10 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 28 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 14 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 7 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 1 
			 
			  2003
			 Homicide 30-39 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Male 3 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Male 2 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 11 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 13 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 19 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 37 
			 Other non-natural 21-25 Male 1 
			 Other non-natural 40-49 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Female 4 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 2 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Female 3 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 14 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Female 3 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 10 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 30 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 15 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 5 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 1 
			 
			  2004
			 Homicide 30-39 Male 1 
			 Homicide 60 and over Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Male 2 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Female 1 
			 Natural causes 26-29 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Female 2 
			 Natural causes 30-39 Male 8 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Female 2 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 13 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 28 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Female 2 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 43 
			 Other non-natural 21-25 Male 1 
			 Other non-natural 30-39 Male 5 
			 Other non-natural 40-49 Male 2 
			 Other non-natural 50-59 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 2 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Female 3 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 11 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Female 3 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 12 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Female 4 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 30 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 17 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 6 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 1 
			 
			  2005
			 Homicide 40-49 Male 2 
			 Homicide 60 and over Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 21-25 Male 2 
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 13 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 18 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 18 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 34 
			 Other non-natural 21-25 Male 1 
			 Other non-natural 30-39 Female 1 
			 Other non-natural 30-39 Male 1 
			 Other non-natural 40-49 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 11 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 11 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Female 2 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 26 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 10 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 4 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 2 
			 
			  2006
			 Natural Causes 26-29 Male 1 
			 Natural Causes 30-39 Male 13 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Female 2 
			 Natural Causes 40-49 Male 14 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Female 1 
			 Natural Causes 50-59 Male 16 
			 Natural Causes 60 and over Male 35 
			 Other non-natural 26-29 Male 1 
			 Other non-natural 30-39 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 18-20 Male 1 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 21-25 Male 3 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 26-29 Male 6 
			 Self-inflicted 30-39 Male 29 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Female 1 
			 Self-inflicted 40-49 Male 14 
			 Self-inflicted 50-59 Male 7 
			 Self-inflicted 60 and over Male 3

Young Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of under 18s in custody received their custodial sentence as a result of  (a) possessing or supplying drugs of class A, B or C and  (b) offences in which drugs were involved.

David Hanson: As at the end of May 2007 there were 74 under 18-year-olds serving sentences for drug offences in prison establishments in England and Wales; 4 per cent. of the total 1,895 under 18s serving immediate custodial sentences. It is not possible to show the number serving sentences for specific types of drug offences as the data is not robust at this level.
	Information on the total number of prisoners whose offences involved drugs either as a motivating factor, or were committed under the influence of drugs, or where another offence was listed as the primary offence, is not available.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Young Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of hours spent by young offender is per day in each young offenders institution  (a) in cells,  (b) undergoing education and  (c) playing team sport.

David Hanson: The average number of hours per weekday prisoners in each young offender institution spent in their cells in 2006-07 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average hours per weekday spent  in cells by prisoners in each young o ffender  i nstitution in 2006-07 
			  Young offenders institution  Average t ime in cell per weekday in 2006-07 
			 Aylesbury 15.9 
			 Brinsford 15.7 
			 Castington 15.1 
			 Deerbolt 17.1 
			 Feltham 14.2 
			 Glen Parva 13.8 
			 Hindley 14.0 
			 Lancaster Farms 13.8 
			 Northallerton 14.9 
			 Portland 15.4 
			 Reading 17.1 
			 Rochester 15.7 
			 Stoke Heath 14.5 
			 Swinfen Hall 13.6 
			 Thorn Cross 11.5 
		
	
	The prison service collects information on the time spent by prisoners on Education and this is shown in the following table. Data are not collected specifically for team sport but this activity is covered within physical education and recreational sporting activities. The table shows the average number of weekly hours that young offenders spent on education, physical education and recreational sporting activity per week in 2006-07. This data are not collected on a daily basis and cannot therefore be expressed in the precise format requested.
	
		
			  Average hours spent on education, physical education and recreational sporting activity per week in each young offender institution in 2006-07 
			  Establishment  Physical education  Recreational sporting activity  Other educational activity 
			 Aylesbury 3.4 0.3 5.5 
			 Brinsford 2.9 0.0 8.6 
			 Castington 3.1 0.3 9.1 
			 Deerbolt 3.5 0.0 7.6 
			 Feltham 6.2 0.2 10.5 
			 Glen Parva 2.6 0.0 5.9 
			 Hindley 3.1 0.0 17.3 
			 Lancaster farms 2.9 0.0 9.9 
			 Northallerton 3.3 0.0 6.2 
			 Portland 2.6 0.0 6.5 
			 Reading 0.1 3.1 4.2 
			 Rochester 1.9 0.0 3.0 
			 Stoke Heath 2.9 1.6 5.6 
			 Swinfen Hall 3.3 0.3 8.0 
			 Thorn Cross 7.1 0.3 13.2

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the recorded number of  (a) incidents of binge drinking leading to accident and emergency admissions and  (b) alcohol related illnesses since the publication of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy report in 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data cannot determine when an admitted patient has been involved in an incident of binge drinking, and the vast majority of incidents of binge drinking do not result in an admission to hospital. While HES data can be used to determine the number of episodes where the patient had an alcohol related illness, many patients may not be admitted to hospital and would instead be treated in other settings such as primary care or outpatients. Neither can HES supply data that could be used to accurately assess the change in the number of alcohol related illnesses since 2004. While it is likely that alcohol-related attendances at accident and emergency (A&E) departments will be higher than those for alcohol-related admissions to hospital, this data is not recorded.
	The following table provides a count of finished admission episodes (FAE), for which data are available, with an alcohol-related primary diagnosis where the patient was admitted via A&E.
	
		
			  Count of FAE with an alcohol-related primary diagnosis admitted via A&E for 2004-05 and 2005-06: National health service hospitals, England 
			   Admissions 
			 2004-05 34,360 
			 2005-06 39,641 
			  Notes: Alcohol-related diagnoses defined by ICD-10 codes: F10 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol; K70 Alcoholic liver disease; and T51 Toxic effect of alcohol. Admission methods 71: Emergency—via A&E services, including the casualty department of the provider' and '28: Emergency—other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another health care provider'  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Diagnosis (primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. Whilst this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: HES, The Information Centre for health and social care

Dental Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to assist the resolution of the general dental services contracts that were in dispute at 31 March.

Ann Keen: Primary care trusts and local providers of national health service dental services are responsible for seeking to resolve any disputed elements of NHS contracts. If the parties cannot reach a local resolution, the dispute can be referred to the NHS Litigation Authority. The NHS primary care contracting team offer and provides support and advice on dispute resolution to those commissioners who request it.
	Eighty seven per cent. of all those contracts originally signed in dispute have so far been resolved. Well over 99 per cent. of the disputes so far resolved have ended in the dentist deciding to stay with the NHS.

Dentistry: Training

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis applicants to practise as dentists in the NHS are able to claim exemption from the requirement to undertake vocational training in the UK prior to acceptance; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Dentists who hold appropriate European diplomas are exempt from the requirement to undertake vocational training. Dentists who, in the four years before applying for inclusion in a primary care trust's (PCT) dental performers list, have experience in primary care for a total period of at least two years or an equivalent period part time in the community dental service, the armed forces of the Crown, or the performance of personal dental services prior to 1 April 2006, are also exempt. Through their responsibility for clinical governance and the management of their performers lists PCT are accountable for the quality of the services provided by all dentists on their lists.

Departments: Publicity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of advertising commissioned by his Department in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has run a number of advertising campaigns during the previous 12 months in the drive to improve public health. In some instances these are part of longer-term campaigns to address particular issues, e.g. smoking cessation, and some are tactical campaigns, e.g. flu immunisation.
	Where long-term campaigns are involved, evaluation techniques are used to measure current performance against pre-determined targets, and to benchmark against previous campaigns. By so doing the department can aim to improve the effectiveness of future campaigns. This is consistent with the recommended principles of the Engage planning framework, which is designed to improve the quality and effectiveness of government campaigns.
	Where campaigns have short-term tactical targets, evaluation is also specifically undertaken to ensure response levels are achieved through the most effective deployment of media, and once more to inform future planning for similar activities. Examples of these two campaign approaches follow.
	Depending on the nature of the task, the department uses appropriate industry-wide recognised measures to determine the success and cost effectiveness of the campaign. The Central Office of Information is often involved in the campaign development process and these measures are also used by them to measure campaign success levels. The measures chosen will include some of the following elements:
	spontaneous ad awareness;
	prompted ad awareness;
	spontaneous ad recall;
	prompted ad recall;
	logo/brand recognition;
	slogan recognition;
	ad recall (first mention);
	ad recall (all mentions);
	attitude shift (pre/post);
	attitude shift (regular tracking);
	specific policy/product detail recall;
	agreement with relevant statements (pre/post);
	response by channel (telephone, coupon, website);
	response by medium (TV, national press, etc);
	response for information;
	response to helpline;
	second stage response (e.g. fill in an application form);
	final stage response (e.g. receive benefit, give blood);
	tracking of response quality (from initial inquiry to final result);
	behavioural shift—immediate (e.g. join smoking cessation group); and
	behavioural shift—long term (e.g. give up smoking).
	Example of long-term campaign evaluation
	Using these measures, some of the top line results from recent tobacco campaigns since September 2006 are as follows:
	 Motivations That Matter (September 2006)
	70 per cent. of 16-34 smoking men aware that impotence can be caused by smoking, (compared to 45 per cent. at start of campaign).
	41 per cent. of 16-34 smoking women said the ads made them more likely to quit.
	 Hook/Send Off (January to March 2007)
	82 per cent. of smokers agreed that a smoker who smokes 5,000 cigarettes a year must be really addicted;
	76 per cent. of smokers agreed that the campaign was aimed at people like me;
	39 per cent. of smokers said 'Hook' made them think they should give up now; and
	23 per cent. of smokers said that TV advertising was a prompt for their most recent quit attempt (prompted).
	 Direct Response:
	During the Hook/Send Off campaign 83,606 people phoned the NHS Smoking Helpline, 545,564 people visited the gosmokefree website and 195,000 people interacted with the interactive TV pages (total of 824,170 responses).
	 Secondhand Smoke (March 2007)
	42 per cent. of adults (48 per cent. of smokers) spontaneously recalled any element of the campaign (82 per cent. and 84 per cent. respectively for prompted awareness);
	88 per cent. of adults agreed second hand smoke can cause lung cancer in non-smokers post-campaign (78 per cent. pre-campaign);
	75 per cent. of adults agreed second hand smoke can cause heart disease in non-smokers post-campaign (70 per cent. pre-campaign); and
	50 per cent. agreed most of the smoke from a cigarette can't be seen or smelted post-campaign (27 per cent. pre-campaign).
	 Example of tactical campaign evaluation:
	The flu immunisation communications campaign has been run annually since 2000. The advertising has been evaluated by pre and post campaigns surveys of the target audiences to measure changes in spontaneous and prompted recall and recognition of the advertising, propensity to get the jab, the relative cost effectiveness of the different media, take-up of campaign materials, and ultimately, take-up of the jab.
	In 2006 the research indicated that, compared to 2005, the advertising had achieved:
	similar levels of prompted recall and recognition among the at-risks groups;
	propensity to get the jab was also similar to 2005 among the total sample surveyed, and increased with the number of media recognised;
	among the over-65s there was some decline in spontaneous and prompted recall of any flu jab advertising, and in propensity to get the jab; and
	among the at-risk groups of all ages spontaneous recall of any flu jab advertising changed little, but there was a decline in prompted recall. Propensity to get the jab remained stable, and was slightly higher among those who had seen the campaign.
	Take-up of the campaign materials by the national health service was 2.8 million items.
	The campaign contributed a take-up of the vaccine of 74 per cent. among the over-65s in 2006 (65.3 per cent. in 2000-01), towards the World Health Organization target of 75 per cent. by 2010.

Drugs: Misuse

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of problematic drug users (PDUs) in each county area in 2004-05 and  (b) the percentage of PDUs not in treatment who require it.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has made no estimate of the numbers of problematical drug users (PDUs) in each county area or the percentage of PDU's not in treatment who require it.

Eating Disorders: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 568W, on eating disorders: children, if he will break down the numbers of finished consultant episodes in each year from 1996-97 to 2005-06 by  (a) region and  (b) primary care trust.

Ivan Lewis: Information is not available in the format request. Information at the primary care trust level could only be provided at the risk of breaching patient confidentiality. Tables have been placed in the Library which give the number of finished consultant episodes by region (pre-1998-99 national health service regional boundary change) when the primary diagnosis was related to an eating disorder.

Exercise: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the amount of physical activity undertaken by school age children each week in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested. Data on childhood physical activity is not available for 2007. Data on physical activity among children is collected in the Health Survey for England (HSE), but not in every year. We can provide data on the level of physical activity undertaken outside of school by boys and girls aged two-10 and boys and girls aged 11-15 for 1997 and 2002. Data are published in "Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet: England, 2006", produced by The Information Centre for health and social care (The IC) at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet-england-2006
	This information is provided in the following table.
	In addition, data are available on participation in physical education (PE) and school sport from the School Sport survey. These are also published in "Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet: England, 2006". The data were collected from 16,882 schools that are within school sport partnerships in England. The latest survey results show that in 2005-06 80 per cent. of pupils in school years one to 11 (mainly aged five to 15-years) in partnership schools participated in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport in a typical week. These school sport partnerships were set up in a number of phases starting September 2000 and so there is no data available for 1997.
	
		
			  Table 1: Children's summary physical activity levels( 1, 2, 3) ,1997 and 2002—England 
			  Percentages 
			   1997  2002 
			  Boys 2-10   
			 High(4) 54 55 
			 Medium 9 20 
			 Low 37 26 
			
			  Boys 11-15   
			 High(4) 55 56 
			 Medium 13 16 
			 Low 33 29 
			
			  Girls 2-10   
			 High(4) 45 48 
			 Medium 10 21 
			 Low 44 30 
			
			  Girls 11-15   
			 High(4) 27 34 
			 Medium 15 22 
			 Low 59 44 
			
			  Bases (weighted)   
			 Boys aged 2-10 1,425 2,705 
			 Boys aged 11-15 719 1,495 
			 Girls aged 2-10 1,456 2,598 
			 Girls aged 11-15 679 1,460 
			 (1 )High = 60 minutes or more on all seven days; Medium = 30-59 minutes on all seven days; Low = Lower level of activity (2) Only activities that lasted 15 minutes and over were included. (3) It was assumed that all walking and housework/gardening sessions in 2002 lasted 15 minutes. This was necessary in order to make 2002 and 1997 data comparable as there was no duration question for walking and housework/gardening in 1997. (4) Based on the assumption that all activity was of at least moderate intensity, this group represents those who met the physical activity recommendations for at least an hour of at least moderate-intensity activity a day.  Source: Health Survey for England, 2002. The Department of Health

Family Planning

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) full and  (b) part time family planning clinics there were in each health trust area in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The Department only currently collects aggregate data from family planning clinics at primary care trust (PCT) and national health service trust level. As such we cannot identify data on numbers of individual clinics (of which there are many) within these organisations.
	Data at PCT and NHS trust level is published in "NHS Contraceptive Services, England 2005-06" and a copy of the latest bulletin is available in the Library. The information is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/contraception/nhs-contraceptive-services-england-2005-06

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the relative needs formula component of the formula grant for local authorities is determined; when it was last reviewed; which variables are included in the formula; who determines the formula; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The social care relative needs formulae for all client groups were reviewed in 2005 and new formulae were introduced for the 2006-07 settlement. The formulae are mainly produced through academic research projects and will remain unchanged for the next three-year settlement.
	The older people's formula consists of a basic amount per person aged 65 and over and top-ups for age, deprivation, sparsity, low income from fees and charges, and area costs.
	The variable in the age top-up is the proportion of the 65 and over population that is aged 90 years and over.
	The variables in the deprivation top-up are the proportions of people aged 65 and over with the following characteristics:
	in receipt of income support or pension credit;
	in receipt of attendance allowance;
	living in rented accommodation; and
	living alone in a household.
	The sparsity top-up is calculated using data on the population sparsity of those aged over 65.
	The variable in the current top-up for low income from fees and charges is the proportion of older people living in rented accommodation. This is the only part of the funding formulae that is calculated internally by departmental analysts, and the analysis has recently been re-run using the latest data. The resulting two options will be included in the Department for Communities and Local Government's Formula Grant Distribution Consultation over the summer.
	The area cost adjustments for older people and younger adults are calculated by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to take into account the differing costs of providing adult social care by area.
	The younger adult's formula consists of a basic amount per person aged 18-64 and tops ups for deprivation and area costs. The variables included in the deprivation top-up are:
	the proportion of people in receipt of disability living allowance aged 18-64;
	the proportion of people who have never worked or are long term unemployed;
	the proportion of people in routine occupations; and
	the proportion of households with no family.
	The DCLG have responsibility for the overall local government finance settlement.
	Central Government, following consultation with local government and subject to parliamentary approval, determines the relative needs formulae based on the results of the research and analysis.

Primary Care Trusts: Local Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the likely impact of implementing district unitary authorities on the operation of primary care trusts;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the impact of the bids of local authorities shortlisted for unitary status on health provision in those areas;
	(3)  what discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the local authorities seeking unitary status which appeared on the shortlist published by the Department for Communities and Local Government on 27 March 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: The decision as to which proposals should proceed to stakeholder consultation reflected the collective decision of Government. All 26 six unitary proposals that were received in response to the invitation issued on 26 October 2006 were assessed against the five criteria set out in that invitation. The 16 unitary proposals that have been subject to the stakeholder consultation will now be reassessed against the same five criteria having regard to all the information available including that received in response the consultation. Primary care trusts, along with a range of public bodies, have been able to submit their views as part of the stakeholder consultation.

PSSEX1 Expenditure Return

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is gathered in the PSSEX1 Expenditure Return.

Ivan Lewis: The personal social services expenditure return (PSSEX1) is collected by The Information Centre for health and social care, and shows data from local authorities on current expenditure and unit costs on personal social services for adults and children, both nationally and for individual authorities. Expenditure data is presented on a gross and net basis, and is also split between authorities' own provision and provision by others. It is also broken down by client groups:
	older people (including those with disabilities);
	children and family services (including children with disabilities);
	learning disabled adults;
	physically disabled adults;
	mentally ill adults;
	asylum seekers; and
	other adult services.
	Services are analysed between residential day and domiciliary provision, and the costs of assessment and care management are also identified.
	The latest available data is on 2005-06 Expenditure report, which can be accessed at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/social-care/adult-social-care-information/personal-social-services-expenditure-and-unit-costs-england:-2005-06